Method

1. Place seeds in a heated frying pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted.

2. Combine sesame seeds, parsley and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spoon out onto a baking paper lined tray.

3. Remove the bloodline and any excess tissue fibre from tuna. Brush tuna lightly with oil. Roll in seed mixture until evenly coated. Refrigerate until required.

4. To make fennel salad, place all in ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss to combine.

5. Preheat oven to 180°C.

6. To prepare the garlic crumbs, brush bread on both sides with oil. Place on a baking tray in a single layer. Cook in the oven until golden and crisp. Remove from oven and brush with garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cool. Process to form coarse crumbs.

7. To serve the tuna, using a very sharp sushi knife or long bladed knife, cut very thin slices of the tuna and arrange in a single layer over four plates. Sprinkle over the garlic crumbs and fennel salad. Drizzle with a little lemon infused olive oil and garnish with fresh chervil and thyme.

Notes

1. The fennel needs to be very thinly sliced – to achieve this, use a mandolin or Japanese slicer.

2. We toasted bread on the day to make crumbs. If you have the time, day-old Italian bread, processed into coarse crumbs and then cooked with butter and oil would also be a good method.

3. For even thin slices of tuna, pull the knife down and toward you in one smooth action. Using a see-saw motion may cause fish to tear. Try wrapping fish in plastic wrap and freezing for 1 hour before slicing – it will help keep the fish firm.